Oscar Harris
Founder | Turner Associates Architects & Planners
Founder | SPIKE Studio
Atlanta, Georgia
Industry: Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC)
Sector: Architecture, Urban Planning & Civic Infrastructure
Specialties: Civic Architecture | Aviation & Transportation Infrastructure | Urban Planning | Transit-Oriented Development | Public-Space Design | Strategic Visioning
Leadership Focus
Design Leadership | Civic Impact | Professional Equity | Mentorship | Creative Leadership | Legacy Building
CityBox Executive Essence™
Oscar Harris, FAIA, is an architect, entrepreneur, artist, author, and mentor whose work is deeply embedded in the physical and cultural identity of Atlanta.
As Founder of Turner Associates Architects & Planners, Harris built a career spanning more than four decades and contributed to some of Atlanta’s most recognizable civic, transportation, cultural, and public environments—from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and MARTA to Centennial Olympic Park and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park Visitor Center.
His leadership extends beyond what he designed. Harris also helped create pathways for architects and other professionals historically underrepresented within the built-environment professions and has invested extensively in mentoring younger generations through SPIKE Studio.
Executive Overview
Oscar Harris, FAIA, is the Founder of Turner Associates Architects & Planners, an Atlanta architectural and planning practice established in 1977. Under his leadership, Turner Associates became involved in billions of dollars of complex urban, civic, aviation, transportation, and public-sector development.
His work has included major contributions to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, including International Concourse E, the central atrium, airport master planning, and art programming. Turner Associates also contributed to MARTA facilities, Centennial Olympic Park, Zoo Atlanta, courthouse and justice facilities, public housing, and other significant civic projects.
Harris earned his architectural education through Lincoln University, Howard University, and Carnegie Mellon University, where he received a master’s degree in architecture. His professional influence has extended into real estate and transit-oriented development, professional boards, entrepreneurship, art, authorship, and mentorship.
Why This Leader Matters
Few professions leave such a visible record of leadership as architecture.
Airports, transit systems, parks, civic buildings, cultural institutions, and public spaces become part of the everyday identity of a city. Oscar Harris has spent much of his professional life helping shape precisely those kinds of environments in Atlanta.
His importance, however, is not limited to buildings.
Harris established and grew an African American-led architecture practice during a period when access to major architectural commissions and professional opportunities remained especially difficult for Black architects. His career became part of a broader effort to expand participation and visibility within architecture, engineering, planning, and construction.
He has carried that commitment forward through mentorship. SPIKE Studio introduces young people to architecture, engineering, construction, design, real estate development, and entrepreneurship—extending Harris’s influence from projects already built to professionals and creators who may shape cities decades into the future.
His leadership demonstrates that legacy is not simply what a person leaves behind. It is what they build, whom they bring forward, and what becomes possible because they were there.
CityBox Leadership Signals™
Strategic Orientation
Connecting architecture, urban planning, transportation, public infrastructure, entrepreneurship, cultural expression, and human experience to create lasting civic value.
Decision Style
Visionary, collaborative, creative, and experience-informed, with an emphasis on developing shared vision among clients, communities, public institutions, and multidisciplinary project teams. His practice became recognized for using visioning processes to help build consensus around complex projects.
Primary Influence
Architecture, aviation infrastructure, urban planning, transportation, civic design, public spaces, minority business leadership, mentorship, professional inclusion, art, and creative enterprise.
Leadership Strength
Seeing architecture not simply as individual buildings, but as part of a larger system connecting people, transportation, public life, cultural identity, economic opportunity, and the future of cities.
Executive Signature
Designing places. Opening doors. Building a legacy beyond architecture.
Leadership Environment
Architecture and planning, civic infrastructure, aviation, transportation, urban development, public-private environments, creative enterprise, professional mentorship, and community leadership.
Selected Leadership Milestones
Oscar Harris’s career reflects more than four decades of architectural leadership, major civic projects, entrepreneurship, professional achievement, creative expression, and sustained investment in future generations.
Founder | Turner Associates Architects & Planners
Harris founded Turner Associates Architects & Planners in 1977 and built the organization into one of Atlanta’s prominent architecture and planning firms.
SPIKE Studio reports that Turner Associates served as lead prime contracting architect on more than $4 billion in complex Atlanta urban projects over the course of the firm’s history.
Shaping Atlanta’s Civic & Transportation Landscape
Harris and Turner Associates contributed to major projects that became part of Atlanta’s public identity, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, MARTA, Centennial Olympic Park, the Martin Luther King Jr. Visitor Center, Zoo Atlanta, courthouses, justice facilities, and other civic environments.
His firm’s airport work included International Concourse E, the central atrium, airport planning, and art initiatives. Harris later participated as a partner in International Aviation Consultants in connection with Hartsfield-Jackson’s multibillion-dollar expansion program.
1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
Harris was engaged in creative leadership surrounding the visual environment of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, while Turner Associates designed the distinctive light towers associated with Centennial Olympic Park.
Those elements became part of the enduring visual legacy of Atlanta’s transformation for the Olympic Games.
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
Harris was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, one of the profession’s significant distinctions.
His broader professional service has included leadership and trustee involvement with institutions including Carnegie Mellon University, Lincoln University, Southern Polytechnic, and the Urban Land Institute. He was also recognized by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce as its 2003 Small Businessman of the Year.
Founder | SPIKE Studio
Harris founded the organization now known as SPIKE Studio to introduce and mentor young people—particularly those from communities historically underrepresented in the profession—around opportunities in architecture, engineering, construction, design, real estate development, and entrepreneurship.
This commitment to mentorship represents one of the most consequential dimensions of his leadership legacy: creating opportunities for others to enter and influence the built environment.
Architect, Artist & Author
Harris’s creative practice extends beyond architecture into visual art and writing. His artwork draws inspiration from jazz, color, texture, rhythm, and abstraction.
He is also the author of Oscar: The Memoir of a Master Architect, documenting his personal journey, architectural career, major projects, professional challenges, and efforts to expand opportunity for minority architects and firms.
The Trailblazers | Atlanta AEC Leadership
Oscar Harris was a featured guest speaker for The Trailblazers Atlanta, an ARENCON Global leadership gathering presented in collaboration with CityBox Magazine and the Mercedes-Benz Experience Center.
Hosted by Maryan Aiken, the gathering brought together Atlanta AEC professionals for an intimate conversation featuring Harris alongside prominent Atlanta leaders Michael Vlass, Jim Jacoby, and Deborah Lanham, sharing perspectives shaped by decades of architecture, real estate development, entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and city building.
The gathering reflected Harris’s continuing influence as both a practitioner and mentor within Atlanta’s architecture, engineering, construction, and development community.
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CityBox Connections
CityBox identifies leaders whose experience and areas of focus may create meaningful opportunities for collaboration.
Michael B. Vlass
As Atlanta continues to expand as a center for business and innovation, leaders in real estate and development play a critical role in shaping the region's growth. Their vision, investment, and commitment to responsible development help create thriving communities, strengthen the commercial landscape, and support sustainable economic growth.
Jim Jacoby
As cities and markets continue to evolve, real estate and development play a critical role in shaping economic growth, strengthening communities, and creating opportunities for business investment. Visionary leadership within the industry helps transform land, infrastructure, and commercial assets into places that support long-term regional prosperity.
William Carpenter PhD, FAIA
As communities continue to grow, leaders in architecture play a critical role in shaping the built environment, advancing design excellence, and creating spaces that support business, education, and civic life. Their leadership helps shape a future where innovation, sustainability, and thoughtful planning contribute to stronger communities and sustainable economic growth.
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